SEAT Toledo   Women's view

The Seat Toledo offers a smart option for driving around town or out in the country. June Neary checks out the turbo diesel variant of this under-rated family five-door...

Most of the British public tend to say "See It" rather than the manufacturer's preferred "Say At", but however you pronounce it, the SEAT Toledo is not as well known on our roads as perhaps it deserves to be. If you do favour diesel power, but want a smooth drive and a fair turn of speed, then the turbo diesel Toledo which I drove this week might well offer more than you bargained for. I liked the smart burgundy paintwork and the sleek MPV-style styling of my test car. I was less taken with the upholstery, reminiscent of bedsit wallpaper, but there was enough matt black around it to soften the impact on the eye.

As a family car, it would suit the Neary clan pretty well.

The Toledo is roomy enough inside certainly larger than a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra-sized hatch but a little smaller than, say, a Mondeo or a Vectra. This rather compromised size actually works quite well, making it easy to manoeuvre into most drives and parking spaces, a big consideration if you do the school run every morning. Women might take a lot of stick about their parking, but it's amazing how many cars you can fit alongside the school playground if you're determined enough! Inside, everything falls to hand beautifully and the driving position is near-perfect thanks to a rake and reach-adjustable steering wheel. The deeply bolstered seats hold you firmly in place whilst cornering and both the wheel and the gearstick feel good to hold: you really want to go and drive the thing. Rear seat legroom isn't great, but there is at least the compensation of a huge boot, which is the main reason for buying a Toledo rather than the visually similar SEAT Altea model (which costs around £500 less, model-for-model). At 4.50 metres long and 1.77 metres wide, the Toledo is longer but narrower than the mini-MPV its trying not to be, but nevertheless, it features many of the attributes of cars of this genre.

A two-level luggage compartment boasts a hefty 500 litre capacity more than enough for a week away. The parcel shelf can be configured in a couple of positions to offer added versatility. In high position, it houses a hidden compartment while if set low, you can create a hidden floor. Although its durability may be called into question, its a good way of keeping your valuables away from prying eyes.

Side compartments with elasticated nets provide easy and safe storage for fragile items.

It's an easy car to drive, although the 1.9-litre TDI diesel engine I tried isn't one of the quietest around. The 2.0-litre diesel is quieter but much more expensive. I felt pretty comfortable at the wheel.

The rearview mirror seemed to give an exceptionally good view of the road behind and all the knobs and dials on the dashboard were straightforward to use. The most popular Toledo model has long been the 1.9-litre turbo diesel variant, which doesn't surprise me. It's not the fastest car on the road by any means, but it achieves a respectable 0-60mph in 12.4 seconds on the way to a top speed of 113mph: for family driving that's fine in my book. As well as offering traction control, emergency brake assist and anti-lock brakes, the Toledo features a Bosch ESP stability control package. Six airbags are fitted as standard, comprising driver and passenger, side and head bags. There are also three-point seatbelts for all five seats with pyrotechnic pretensioners at the front and the ISOFIX child seat fixing system in the back.

Electro-mechanical power steering and the SEAT-developed Agile Chassis combine with a multi link rear axle to offer driving characteristics that are a cut above the usual mini-MPV fare.

A 1.6-litre petrol Toledo in basic Reference guise costs from £12,922, while the 1.9 TDI models start from £14,912. All models come complete with twin front and side airbags, air conditioning, electric everything, anti-lock brakes and a multi-speaker stereo system.

There's power steering and central locking, too. That's a lot of extras for a modest outlay. But where the diesel engine really counts is at the pumps. The car I drove should achieve more than 52mpg in normal use creating savings that are difficult to ignore. More power is offered in the form of the 140bhp Toledo 2.

0 TDI that retails at £16,912.

SEAT is certainly a growing force in the UK car industry and one whose light is starting to shine out a bit brighter from behind that bushel. The neighbours might say Youve bought a what? but if this car were mine, I wouldnt care. Add it to your wish list if youre looking for a spacious, yet practical family five-door.